Brooklyn Investment Group Sells 135 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Brooklyn Investment Group trimmed its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 14.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 807 shares of the company’s stock after selling 135 shares during the quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group’s holdings in Hershey were worth $136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth about $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, City State Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.42.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $152.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.31 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $30.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $171.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $184.39.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.